Construction of the 14-story glass tower at 171st Street and Haven Avenue is scheduled to take approximately three years.

Construction of the new Medical and Graduate Education Building is projected to last 32 months.

The building’s pioneering design, by Diller Scofidio + Renfro in collaboration with Gensler, has been described as “eye-catching,” “a major landmark in the skyline of northern Manhattan,” and “unorthodox for a medical school… in its reflection of a new more collaborative, team-based mode of teaching.”

The opportunity to create a more vibrant and cohesive campus is being made possible by vital support from philanthropists Diana and P. Roy Vagelos, MD;Philip L. and Cheryl Milstein; and the Clyde and Helen Wu Family. Representatives from each family attended the ceremony along with Columbia Trustee Kenneth Forde, MD, and employees of Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Gensler, and the construction company, Sciame.